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Emotional Khoza quits
03/02/2004 12:01 - (SA)
Johannesburg - A visibly emotional Irvin Khoza on Tuesday announced his resignation from all executive positions in the South African Football Association (Safa).
Khoza the vice president of Safa said: "I am tired of being used as a scapegoat. I have after much soul searching decided to focus my attention on serving where I can contribute to growth.
"I am tired of protecting people and being used as a scapegoat. I am therefore announcing that effective immediately, I am stepping down from all executive positions at Safa."
Khoza will remain as chairperson of the World Cup Bid Committee and continue as chairperson of Orlando Pirates football club.
Khoza indicated that his involvement in the bid will not be affected.
"This does not in anyway affect my involvement with the 2010 World Cup Bid to which I have been deployed as part of my national duty. I will see this mammoth task to the end," he said.
Khoza said defining moments in any situation present themselves.
"When those moments come, I am not one to take safe decisions to be popular or wade off criticism. When the 25 regions of Safa amended the constitution in order to permit me, a club administrator, to be eligible for election to serve on its executive as the vice president, I was grateful for their confidence in me and thanked them for their unwavering support," he said.
Khoza, a successful businessman, added that he welcomed this development because it provided an opportunity for him to add value to the growth of football in the country and to the world.
"In any position I am elected to serve, I go in holding the principle that my continued involvement will depend on my firm belief that I contribute to the growth.
"I do not think this that this remains the case at Safa anymore. I am of late finding myself increasingly called to step in to defend ground already covered," said Khoza.
"I will not at this stage go into details about the specific issue that led to my decision as I wish to accord the president of Safa, Mr Oliphant, and the Safa executive and sponsors, all of whom I called this morning, to inform them of my decision in a full debrief, before I make any further public pronouncements."
Sarfu executive member, Raymond Hack, described Khoza's unexpected resignation as a "loss to South African football".
"Only if people knew what he did for football. Look, football will suffer. The man was just unbelievable. He was a workaholic and I have known him for almost 30 years," he said.
Before the unexpected announcement was made CEO of Safa Albert Mokoena made it clear to journalists that "no questions will be entertained".
- SAPA
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